Hi everyone! I could use a bit of advice:
At the time I submitted my AMCAS, I had just started work in a new lab. I was mostly just being trained in the techniques the lab uses and hadn't started work on any actual projects yet, and I basically said as much in my description of my research experiences in my application. In the 8 or so months since, I've spent a significant amount of time in this lab (averaging 25-30 hours a week; probably close to 1000 hours total by now) and have become very involved in two major projects, one of which is the basis for my master's thesis. My PI has assured me that I'll be a co-author on the two (likely) publications that will come out of these projects, though it will be some time before we get to that point. Before this lab, I was fortunate enough to have one publication in undergrad, with about 2000 research hours, but that was the extent of my research experience; in other words, the work I've done since submitting my application is a significant portion of my total research experience. It's also directly related to the field I plan to go into (neuroscience) while my undergrad lab was not.
My question is, is the work that I've done since submitting my application worth putting into an update letter even though nothing substantial has really come out of it yet? I feel like it's a significant amount of work and that my application doesn't give the full picture of my research experience, but I don't really have anything tangible to mention in an update. While I'm in the process of writing a thesis, it isn't complete yet, I haven't presented the research at any conferences, and while I may get a publication or two out of it in the future, I can't even say that we've submitted a manuscript or anything like that. Would it be beneficial to mention the work I've been doing anyway?
At the time I submitted my AMCAS, I had just started work in a new lab. I was mostly just being trained in the techniques the lab uses and hadn't started work on any actual projects yet, and I basically said as much in my description of my research experiences in my application. In the 8 or so months since, I've spent a significant amount of time in this lab (averaging 25-30 hours a week; probably close to 1000 hours total by now) and have become very involved in two major projects, one of which is the basis for my master's thesis. My PI has assured me that I'll be a co-author on the two (likely) publications that will come out of these projects, though it will be some time before we get to that point. Before this lab, I was fortunate enough to have one publication in undergrad, with about 2000 research hours, but that was the extent of my research experience; in other words, the work I've done since submitting my application is a significant portion of my total research experience. It's also directly related to the field I plan to go into (neuroscience) while my undergrad lab was not.
My question is, is the work that I've done since submitting my application worth putting into an update letter even though nothing substantial has really come out of it yet? I feel like it's a significant amount of work and that my application doesn't give the full picture of my research experience, but I don't really have anything tangible to mention in an update. While I'm in the process of writing a thesis, it isn't complete yet, I haven't presented the research at any conferences, and while I may get a publication or two out of it in the future, I can't even say that we've submitted a manuscript or anything like that. Would it be beneficial to mention the work I've been doing anyway?
